How To Add A Shower Head To A Bathtub

Recently, I added a shower head to my bathtub and so I thought this is the perfect opportunity to explain to my readers how to add a shower head to a bathtub!

As great as tubs can be, sometimes you just want to sit underneath a shower after a long, hard day. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have a shower/tub combination. The good news is that it’s a lot easier than you think to add a shower to your tub.

Adding a shower to your tub is not only aesthetically pleasing but also makes your tub more functional and easy to use. There are three ways to do so, which means that you’re bound to find a solution that works for you.

How To Add A Shower Head To A Bathtub

1. Diverter Tub Spout with Attached Shower Head

This is perhaps the easiest solution as it requires the least amount of modifications. If you’re lucky enough to have your faucet mounted onto the end of your tub, all you need to do is install a diverter tub spout with a connected shower head.

With this device, you’re able to move the stream of water around the tub or even avoid getting your hair wet.

In order to install the shower head, you’ll first need to remove the tub spout, which can be done by unscrewing it, and then replace it with the shower head spout. Be sure to screw on the shower head as securely as possible in order to prevent any leaks.

2. Roman Tub Faucet with Hand Shower

A Roman faucet neck is typically placed on the side of the tub as opposed to being on the front of the tub. Many of these also come with a hand-held shower attachment that comes up from the tub deck and can be used to wash away bubbles after a bath.

Installing this type of tub faucet is a bit more difficult because of the fact that it involves using power tools, measuring, and cutting. As a result, your best bet would be to contact a professional plumber for assistance.

3. Separate Shower Head and Valve on Wall

If none of the other options work for you, this is another one that you could consider. This option requires less mess since you don’t have to mess with your current plumbing.

However, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be any mess involved. Typically, a plumber will come in and look for the pipes hiding in your walls. Once that’s done, the next step will be to turn off the water main.

If any pipes need to be cut or adjusted, that will be done next. A plumber will then connect your water lines to the shower head that is being installed.

Next, the shower valve is installed onto the wall, typically in the center of where the tub is. The shower head will also need to be added on and can vary in height depending on your preference.

Why Install a Bathtub Shower Attachment?

Having both a bathtub and a shower in your bathroom is convenient and can make taking a shower much easier, particularly for people with disabilities or who are elderly.

Not only that, but a shower attachment or shower wand is much more eco-friendly since they are able to conserve energy while still maintaining enough power for water pressure.

A shower head can also make cleaning your tub a whole lot easier. Rather than having to struggle to get soap out of all the corners of your tub, you can easily turn on your shower head and remove any leftover soap from the tub.

The same can be said when trying to bathe your kids or even your pets. A removable shower head can make it easy to wash away messes without having to wrangle your kids or pets at the same time.

Permanent vs. Hand-Held Shower

The option that you decide on depends on a few things, one of them being whether or not you want a permanent shower head in your wall or if you’re okay with having a hand-held shower attached to your faucet instead.

As mentioned earlier, the latter option is much easier and requires less work. If your current faucet spout doesn’t have a hookup for a hand-held shower, you’ll have to have it replaced.

To install a hand-held shower adapter, screw off the faucet and screw on the new spout outlet for the shower head. Make sure to tighten the shower adapter with a wrench before testing it out.

If you want a more permanent solution, you can add a permanent shower to your tub. To do this, you need to access the tub valve. After you do, unplug the port for the shower and add in a vertical pipe that will be needed to attach the shower head.

If you don’t want to modify the existing tub valve, you will probably have to replace it with one that already has a shower port installed. However, this isn’t something that you’ll want to try to do yourself and may need to call in a plumber instead.

Make Your Bathroom a Splash-Free Zone

After you’ve installed the shower on your tub, you’re probably eager to test it out. But before you do, you’ll want to make sure that you have some sort of protection from the water and the rest of your bathroom.

If not, water will splash all over the place, leaving your bathroom a wet mess that can quickly turn dangerous. Aside from the fact that leaving your bathroom wet is dangerous, it can also cause permanent damage to the walls of your bathroom.

Tile and grout are not waterproof and will eventually start to deteriorate or grow mold. If you have a window or other form of ventilation in your bathroom, this may help a little but not a lot.

The best way to protect your bathroom from the water is to install a shower curtain made specifically for tubs. These freestanding shower curtains are typically hung from the ceiling and can adequately keep in all the water from your shower.

If your tub is against the wall, you can use a D-style rod instead. If you decide not to install a shower curtain, you will have to look into waterproofing your bathroom to make sure that you don’t cause any damages to it from the water.

Conclusion

If you’ve decided to install a shower onto your already existing bathtub, you must know by now that you’re in for quite the journey.

The type of shower that you choose to install depends on your preference, as well as what type of tub you have and whether or not your valves are easy to access.

As mentioned earlier, there are both permanent options and semi-permanent options to choose from.

Simply adding an attached shower head to your tub spout is the easiest way to add a shower into your tub, and even then you still may need to install a diverter tub spout to be able to connect the hand-held shower head.

Doing any type of remodeling in your bathroom can be difficult, especially when there’s plumbing involved. Because of this, you may want to hire a plumber to complete the project for you.

Otherwise, you could end up making a mistake that could result in flooding your bathroom, ruining the pipes, and more.